Tish James Adds UFCW to Endorsement Pile

After receiving nods from all but one of the city’s major unions thus far, Brooklyn Councilwoman Tish James public advocate campaign is continuing to roll out other notable labor endorsements.

Yesterday, Ms. James scored District Council 37, the city’s largest municipal workers’ union, and today, she’s adding UFCW Local 1500, which represents the city’s grocery store workers.

At this point in the race, bigger union endorsements for Ms. James are anything but surprising; she already has SEIU 32BJ, Central Labor Council, and the labor-backed Working Families Party. But for Ms. James, who has lagged in fund-raising and will need a small army of volunteers to get her message out, each one is certainly welcome.

“UFCW is proud to endorse Councilwoman Tish Jame … because she understands the challenges that working people in our city deal with every day,” the UFCW’s president, Bruce Both, said in a statement. “Tish has fought hard to protect good-paying jobs, preserved affordable housing in our neighborhoods, and stood up for the idea that New York City must work for working people, not just the wealthy and the privileged.”

Also in the hunt for the public advocate’s office race are three other Democrats: State Senator Dan Squadron, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani and Professor Cathy Guerriero.

Mr. Squadron and Ms. Saujani are leading the pack in fund-raising, but with the exception of the well-organized Hotel Trades Council for Mr. Squadron, the pair have mostly focused on their support among other elected officials and advocates. Ms. Guerriero, loud and known for making her presence felt at forums, has steadily rolled out smaller trade and uniformed union chapter endorsements, of which she possesses dozens.